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LONDON — Faithful lieutenant Rui Faria will be Jose Mourinho’s assistant manager at Manchester United, a role that club icon Ryan Giggs had hoped in vain to retain for the upcoming season. Faria, who has followed Mourinho from Barcelona when the “Special One” was the late Bobby Robson’s interpreter in 1996 to all his subsequent clubs, is joined by others who have experience of working with the United boss. Coaches Silvino Louro, who has been with Mourinho for more than a decade having started out as his goalkeeping coach, Ricardo Formosinho and Carlos Lalin — who also have previous experience working with the Portuguese and Emilio Alvarez have all been confirmed as members of the coaching staff along with analyst Giovanni Cerra.

Mourinho, who will be hoping to make United title contenders again after losing their way in the past three seasons under firstly David Moyes and then Louis van Gaal, claimed contentiously on Tuesday Giggs had left the club after 29 years of service as a player and then assistant manager because he wanted his job. — AFP.